Shiruba no Tsubasa
by a Wiccan
Summary: **REWRITTEN** Tsubasa had traveled the land for several years when she comes across Gaara. Freeing him from slavery causes him to plege himself to her side until death as her warrior and servent. AU and OOCness
1. prologue

It was late at night when a figure walked towards the compound exit. They were silent, not wanting to wake any one up from their slumber. But one person saw them leave.

"Tsubasa, where do you plan on going?" a males voice called, the girl named Tsubasa turned to the elder male that called to her and inclined her head ever so slightly towards them in respect.

"Otou-sama, I'm leaving on my own path. I won't be the puppet doll that the family wishes I was." Her father eyed the pack on her back. He new that no matter what he said, Tsubasa would leave either way, with, or without his blessings. Her silver eyes took in his appearance and he knew she was waiting for him to say something. He tried to stall for time.

"How will you survive without money? It's a dangerous world out there, especially for a young lady such as your self."

"I have the money that I have saved up and will work for money when I need it, and I can defend myself, I have been training after all."

He father sighed when he heard that, she was a female of the main family's household and thus should have been learning how to conduct herself, peace weaving and other such feminine ideals, not learning to fight along with the other things he knew his daughter had been learning.

He resigned himself to the fact that his youngest, and favorite, daughter was leaving for as long as her spirit kept her away. But deep down he knew it was best for her. Sad, he closed his eyes and nodded before opening them once again.

"Very well, Shiruba no Tsubasa, I, Shiruba no Kaze, head of the Shiruba clan, Leader of the Kimu Family and the Head heir to the Hane bloodline, give you my blessings in your travels until you see fit to return here. Farewell." Tsubasa nodded and turned around and continued to walk through the gate, about to change her life forever. Thirteen year old Tsubasa never looked back.

Kaze watched his young daughter leave, burning her image into his mind, not knowing when or if he would ever see her again and hoped this was for the best. He watched as her long black hair swayed back and forth in its high pony-tail. And then she was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

Seventeen year old Tsubasa was whistling as she walked through woods. A lot had changed in her appearance in the past four years. Her hair, once knee length and straight was now wavy in a low sitting pony tail reaching just above mid back in length.

Her silver eyes still shone brightly but were hard as ice, the right eye being covered by her side swept, cheek length, bangs. Flat chested when she left her family, she was now well developed, graciously endowed in her assets. All traces of baby fat were gone, replaced by lithe muscle, a product of traveling on her own for years and fending for herself.

She no longer wore her baby blue tunic shirt, but a dark grey tank-top and instead of her old grey legging she wore pitch black, slightly baggy, pants. She also now wore black flats instead of bamboo sandals. Around her waist was a crimson sash with a silver colored fan at each hip. On her shoulders was a full length, grey, hooded cloak. She carried a small knapsack on her back, the grey bag held most of her few belongings.

She had not stayed in one place for more than a few days at a time, always keeping on the was not often that she would she visit the same town twice, but there were a few places she would stop in at every now and then. Through out the years she had made friends in the various towns she visited, as well as enemies as she traveled. But in all of her traveling she had not even been close to returning to her clan's home.

She spent most of her years studying and training while she traveled, occationally studying from some one for a few days before continuing on, thus giving her a wide background of knowledge and a variety of skills. Here and there she would perform small tasks, occasionally taking on a large job such as escorting something or someone important, earning her money. Most of which she saved, thus accumulating a large sum of money, sending a portion of it home to her own savings for the day she returned, if she ever ever did.

As she continued on she suddenly stopped. Her whistling silenced on her lips. Listening for a moment she sighed. Tsubasa took off her cloak and wrapped her bag in it before placing it in a bush. Then she jumped off toward the noise she had heard.

* * *

><p>SNAP! Pain raced across Gaara's back as the whip one of his captors held, connected with his back. He arched his back in agony and snarled at the man who had hit him. The men surrounding him laughed at his pitiful attempt to reach them from the stake he had been chained to. These men had stolen him from his previous captors a few weeks ago. He had been kidnapped almost seven years ago when he was ten. He had been a slave since then, made to fight in illegal underground matches.<p>

He saw stars as one with a blow connected with his head but he remained conscious. He made a lunge at one of the men only to get knocked over by another. The chains that attached him to the stake by his ankles and wrists were heavy, weighing him down. Around his neck was a heavy metal collar, sealing his chakra completely.

SNAP!

Again the whip landed on his back, sending white hot pain racing down his back along with blood. THUNK! A club connected with his side, sending him reeling and dropping him to his knees when it hit the back of his shoulders, causing him to fall. He blinked back the blackness that threatened to take over his eyesight as he struggled back up.

Then, as if in a dream, the captive heard cheerful whistling coming from the forest. In confusion, he stared at a figure that came waltzing into the clearing, whistling. He could have sworn it was a girl, but his vision was still off.

By this point most of his captors also stared at the figure, who was now unmistakably a girl, a beautiful girl, and looked around the captives age. She stopped whistling as if she had just noticed the group.

"Hey, boy, ya don't look too good over there. What ch'ya doin, letting them beat ya like that?" The girl's voice was light and easy drawl. Her gaze flicked to the one with the whip.

"Ya ought to be careful with that if I were you, if ya ain't careful it might come back and get ya when you try to hurt somebody with it."

Gaara saw the look on his captors faces and made to call a warning to the strange lady when he saw the whip come speeding down at him. He braced for the impact. It never came. He looked in awe to see the girl had the whips end coiled around a black leather wrist guard. He almost shuddered at how dangerous she looked just then.

"I told you, didn't I? Be careful, else you might get hurt." Her voice was compleatly differant from what it had been five seconds ago. It was now cold, hard, and precise.

She snapped her arm to the side, yanking the whip out of the man's hand and twisted it in a deft motion, landing the handle into her own hand. Then before anybody could blink she flicked the whip out, wrapping it around his neck, drawing blood and strangling him as he clawed to remove it unsuccessfully. The others stared at him stupidly as he died for a few moments.

"Boy, you alright?" Gaara barely had time to nod before it was all a blur of motion as the men then acted. He hardly saw the blurred movements as she whipped out two fans and spread them. As the men who had held him captive jumped at her she went towards them.

In the years that Gaara had been fighting he had seen many skilled fighters, but nothing like this. To him it was almost like the girl was gliding through a dance. The men were unable to land a single hit on her, yet she dealt them blow left and right, sending them flying as their blood fell too the ground, courtesy of her fan-like weapons. Within moments it was over. There wasn't a drop of blood on her as she walked over to one who had the keys to his shackles on his belt.

He watched in awed silence as she straightened up with the keys and made her way to him. Swiftly she removed the chains from his limbs. He flinched away slightly as her hands moved to the collar around her neck. She froze and frowned.

"It's alright" she murmured to him before cautiously placing her hands on the collar searching for the key hole, but unable to find frowned again and removed her hands and took out one of her fans from her sash.

"Don't move." She commanded as the boy started to shy away. She latched one hand onto the collar, hissing in pain when it burned her hand, but still she didn't let go as she sliced through the metal with her fan, stopping just before she touched skin. The collar fell off of Gaara as he looked up at the girl who was now standing.

She looked down at the boy, a thoughtful look in her eyes. He looked like he hadn't eaten properly in months and his clothes were rags. "Boy, what's your name?"

Gaara looked up at her. In seven years, she was the first to ever ask that.

"Gaara" She grinned at him and held out her hand to him.

"Name's Tsubasa. And ya," she said as he took her hand to stand up "Can come travelin with me, or go your own way." Her voice was back to a light and easy drawl.

"As a free man?" Gaara was unsure as to whether or not it was all real.

"As a free man" she confirmed. He took one look at her grin and that was all he needed to make up his mind. He would follow this girl that had saved him.

"I'll stay with you."


	3. Chapter 2

Tsubasa led Gaara to where she had left her belongings, supporting him ever so slightly as the redhead was sore from his varrious injuries. When they retrived Tsubasa's belongings, she led him to a spot a fair distance away from everything. The new area was near a small creek that ran clear and Tsubasa sat Gaara on a rock.

"This might hurt a bit, but those wounds have to be cleaned and fixed up." He nodded and did as he was told when she bade him to remove what was left of his shirt.

As she cleaned his wounds, Gaara took the time to observe Tsubasa. He could easily see a few scars across her body from fights in the past. She was indeed rather attractive and had a slight exotic look that added to it. She was lightly tanned from the sun and her hair was soft looking and a deep black. He could easily see she was used to hard work and fighting from her muscle tone. Her silver eyes gleamed in the sun. Her bangs shifted as she worked, exposing her right eye to Gaara. He could now see the light scar that ran over it.

The way she spoke made her seem easy going and she seemed like she came from a simple past of being poor, but she had a look about her of almost royalty, it seemed to lightly resonate from her with the way she held herself, and occasionally it shinned through on her speech, like just before the fight with Gaara's captors. Her voice snapped him from his musings.

"Ya can swim right?" He started to nod when before he new it he was in the middle of the shallow creek. He looked in shock at her. "Ya need a bath too. Now, come here." She was kneeling on the edge of the bank where the water was only two feet deep. Obediently he went over to her and sat down, wary. She laughed and began to rub something in his hair. It smelled sweet. He started when he realized that Tsubasa was washing his hair. He could not remember the last time some one had done that for him.

_It's…nice._ He thought.

Tsubasa smiled at the red head leaned into her touch ever so slightly. If he got any more into then he would start purring, _like a cat_ she mused. She continued to was his hair.

"Gaara, I'm going to trim your hair up a bit k?" Hesitantly the boy nodded and the girl pulled a small knife out from inside her sash and began cleaning up his hair.

* * *

><p>As Gaara sat next to a fire drying off, Tsubasa washed his tattered clothing. Or rather, his pants. Tsubasa had deemed his shirt too ragged and torn up to wear even into the next town. So he was wrapped up in her cloak to hide his nakedness.<p>

As she washed the pants, Tsubasa's mind drifted off. For four years she had been drifting alone. Other than the people she came across in towns and other travelers once in a blue moon, the only time she interacted with other people was during a fight or working for the occasional client. By nature she had always been a loner, but even she got lonely once in a while. Taking care of somebody like this was refreshing, and she enjoyed the silent redheads company.

Gaara sat deep in thought, unknowingly thinking about the very girl who was thinking about him. This girl had saved him from his captors, and had most likely saved his life. Never before had any one been as kind to him as she was. But he also feared that it was a trap. He did not want to think that was the case but a little nagging voice told him that she was trying to gain his trust so she could get close to him and then harm him. But something about the girl made him think she was being sincere. Looking at her now it was hard to picture her fighting as she had done so earlier this morning.

She looked so peaceful and gentle that Gaara could not match up the picture of her fighting with the current image of her. And while her body was not able to be called frail, she still had a gentle look to her.

An unfamiliar feeling swept over him as he watched Tsubasa wash the pants. It took him a moment to place what that feeling was but then he figured it out. Peace, safety and a sense of contentment. It was a feeling he hadn't felt since months before he had been kidnapped the first time. He watched Tsubasa walk over with his pants and set them to dry by the fire.

Gaara expected her to sit down, but to his curiosity she went back to the creek, rolled her pants up, took her shoes off, and wadded in. He moved to watch her better. She stood in the water, hands poised, without moving. Minutes went by before her hands flashed into the water without making a splash and tossing a fish onto the rocks on the bank, startling Gaara. Now he understood. She was fishing. Gaara watched as she caught a few more for a total of five. By then his pants were dry and he put them back on.

After telling Gaara that she had seen the fish while washing the pants, she told him to keep the cloak until they got him a new shirt and a cloak for himself. Tsubasa then set about making food for the two of them. Gaara felt his stomach rumble as he watched her prepare the meal. Again, Gaara was struck by Tsubasa's kindness.

Three of the fish were given to him, along with a large portion of stew and a cup of tea. Slowly Gaara ate, savoring each bite. Gaara had never eaten anything as good as that meal before and didn't hesitate to tell Tsubasa so, though she put it down as him not eating much in who knows how long, Gaara suspected that she was a very good cook.

That night Gaara lay, staring up at the night sky. It was his first night sleeping freely in seven years. Only this morning he had been a slave. Yet here he was, now free. And it was hard to imagine. As a slave, Gaara's only reason to exist was to serve, fight, and kill for his masters in the arenas. Serving somebody was the only thing he knew how to do any more. Now he would search for a new purpose.

* * *

><p>The next morning found Tsubasa and Gaara walking. Tsubasa wouldn't tell Gaara where they were going or why, causing him to wonder if she was going to take him to a slave market and sell him. He sunk deep into thought.<p>

When they reached a small town, Tsubasa led Gaara to the central market. Seeing his surprised and lightly confused face, Tsubasa laughed. She spoke to him.

"I'm taking you to get some cloths and supplies Gaara, not to betray you." Before he could reply, she had already dragged him to one of the venders. Her voice had lost that care free drawl she usually carried. It eased Gaara's fears a little

* * *

><p>For the next few hours, Gaara felt like he was in a world that he had never knew existed. And he had a slight feeling that Tsubasa knew and was enjoying this. She hummed along as she shifted through clothes for Gaara, every now and again holding something up to him to see how it would look on him, occasionally adding the item to the small pile on her arm.<p>

By the time they were done, Tsubasa had made sure Gaara had a full new outfit, along with some extra clothing. Then she had pushed him towards a small inn that they would stay in for the night. Gaara was hit again by her kindness, no one, even before he had been a slave, had been this kind to him. Wordlessly he followed her as she led the way to the room they were staying in.

It was a small, but clean room, holding two twin beds, a small table and a chair, with a door leading to what assumed was the bathroom.

"Oy, Gaara, git in there and put them clothes on. Unless ya'd rather continue to walk around with them pants and a cloak on. Them girls out there seemed to be likin it." He had seen the looks some of the girls were giving him and it creeped him out. A lot.

As Gaara stumbled into the bathroom, Tsubasa chuckling at his priceless expression, Gaara's thoughts turned to how he noticed how Tsubasa's speech had changed back to the pattern it had when he first saw her yesterday with his previous captors, but earlier at the market it had been that precise speach without her easy, care-free drawl. It was like she changed it to hide who she was, and that hidden part of her, Gaara believed, was some one who had a strict bringing up as a child with a royal edge to it. Gaara was good at reading people and their behaviors, a thing that came in useful many times.

But as curious as he was about it, he wouldn't question Tsubasa on it, she saved his life, and, after all the kindness she had showed him, he believed he owed her so much more than he could offer. He looked in the mirror, pausing briefly as the image reflected back at him. He was no longer the slave Gaara, and he would for ever owe that to Tsubasa. He stepped out of the bathroom to where she was waiting.

As soon as Tsubasa heard him come out she looked up from the map she had been pondering over. Gaara shifted slightly as she looked him over. She smiled; she had known the outfit would look good on him.

"It looks perfect on ya" She told him and Gaara let out the little breath he had subconsciously been holding. He had on black pants, a dark crimson t-shirt and a tan vest on, over all of which went a black hooded, cloak. Tsubasa nodded and then spoke again

"Right, now tomorrow we have to pick up a few supplies then we're gunna head out to the Land of Rivers, which is to the south west of us." Gaara nodded. Though he had never been there, Tsubasa sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Gaara had never had the chance to learn things when he had been in slavery.

* * *

><p>The morning came and Tsubasa brought Gaara back to the market. She went through, looking for specific items, first a bag for Gaara, and then some medical supplies. The whole time they were in the market, Gaara couldn't shake off a bad feeling he kept getting. Finaly he could no ignore it any longer and went to say something to Tsubasa. That was when everything happened.<p>

He saw the man, one of his previous captors, who as staring at Tsubasa. He saw the kunai flying through the air, straight towards her. He moved without thinking.


	4. Chapter 3

Gaara reacted before he could think. Tsubasa twirled as Gaara grabbed a tanto and blocked the kunai heading straight towards her. The vender did not even notice. Realizing what happened and thinking quickly, Tsubasa grabbed Gaara and they ran out of the market. They clung to each other's hand as they raced through the streets and out of the village.

Tsubasa led Gaara out to the forest, closely followed by their pursuer. Then without warning, Tsubasa released Gaara's hand and whipped around, one fan in her hand, and threw it at the man. Without pausing she followed the path of the fan, ripping it out of the man's shoulder, where it had dove in, and opened it. With one deft movement she flicked her wrist and sliced the man's throat open.

Gaara, in the mean time had launched himself at another one who had come out of hiding. Tanto still in hand, he sliced at him, cutting him down. More men had shown up by now, after the girl's blood and to get the former slave back. Eight men were after red head and Tsubasa. Neither of them paused in their attacks and went straight for their enemies.

Gaara marveled at the skill Tsubasa fought with. With her two folding hand fans she was deadly to no end. He had never seen some one fight like she did. Then something caught his eye in the tree. There was another man, glaring down at Tsubasa. Gaara moved to the girl's side just as the man leapt at her.

Tanto met katana, as Gaara parried the blow that was aimed for Tsubasa's back. The man jumped back and the rest of the surviving men were joined by another five. The force now numbered nine or ten men. They all surrounded the pair who remained back to back and the man who had previously attacked Tsubasa spoke.

"Girl, give us the slave. You have no obligation to him. Give him back and we will let you live. Defy us, and we will kill you and take him."

Tsubasa spat at him, "Filthy man, I'll kill you before you touch either of us." Gaara stared at her in wonder and she tilted her head to him and gave a slight smile, briefly softening her hard expression. "I made a promise, didn't I?" Gaara's mind flashed to last night as they had gone to bed.

_**"Why do you help me like this? You have of easily taken me to a slave market and sold me or even left me with those men." Gaara had asked her. He heard movement and then she was suddenly there in front of him where he had been sitting on a bed. She spoke to him. Her eye's holding his own.**_

_**"Nobody should be placed in slavery. Besides, I know what its like to be a slave. As long as I am with you or alive, you will never be a slave again. To you, this I promise."**_

At the time Gaara had sat there in shock, unable to fully believe the words but truly wanting to. Now he stood next to Tsubasa in awe, believing every single word, without any trace of doubt. Gaara nodded slightly at her and she gave a small smile before turning back to the men surrounding them, her eyes once again hard.

"Fine girl, you will die, and then we will take the boy, and make him wish he was dead!" the leader spat out.

"I won't let that happen." That was all the warning Tsubasa gave them before charging at them. Her speed took them by surprise; the first few never saw her coming.

Gaara watched as she attacked them. The girl who had forever changed his life and saved him, she had taken him out of the life where his only purpose was to fight in the arenas and kill for his masters. And now, at last, he had found a new purpose, he would stay by her side, and protect her, he decided. Then, he threw himself into the fray.

Together they fought like mad men. To the ones who attacked them, it was as if death himself had fallen upon them. They moved as a single being, cutting down their enemies. Without taking heed of their wounds they fought on, covering eachother flawlessly.


End file.
